No, you cannot take a selfie as your passport photo. At least not now.
The requirements for the photos are…the photo must measure two inches by two inches; your head must measure between one and 1.375 inches; you will be asked to remove your glasses; you will be asked to not smile.
Continuing on with your passports…
Remember to check your expiration date. Why? Because some countries require your passport be valid for 90 days after entry, but a safer rule of thumb is to be valid for six months.
You can visit Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam without a passport.
There has been a ton of information on travel sites about passports in recent months. I’ve even written a bunch about them.
Here are some reminders and some new info.
In 2007 it became mandatory to have a passport for travel between the US and Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Those expire 10 years from the time they were issued. If an influx of travelers applied for their first passport in 2007 or 2008…those will be expiring soon. That means there will be a bunch of people renewing their passport.
Since the passport offices can only handle so many renewals every day…check your expiration date now and get ahead of the rush.
Also, check out information on the Real ID Act. You can read more about it here https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief.
If you’re from California or several other states…you need to keep aware of this. Don’t panic…just pay attention to what is happening with driver’s licenses.
Have you thought about planning a specialty tour, like art history, Tuscan cooking, chocolate tasting, or landscape painting? If so, you might want to see if the tour is the right one for you.
Is it tailored to and designed for beginners or for experts? That will make a difference on how much you enjoy it. No sense being bored as the tour guide explains the difference between oregano and basil. Yet, all the art history information geared to college professors might be a little over your head.
Ask yourself some basic questions. Is this a hands-on tour? Will I be able to try my hand at making gnocchi?
Is my guide trained in Renaissance art? What language does my guide speak? Are there additional fees associated with this tour…or is the wine included?
What happens if the tour gets cancelled?
How many people will actually be in the group?
Now, read the reviews. Are they recent ones or all over a year old? Read reviews on more than one site. Are they ALL positive? If so, I would be little concerned. Is the site reputable? Do they post both great and not-so-great reviews? You want the truth.
Great views of the Mediterranean from Collioure, France.
Enjoy the city of Beaune, France.
I read an interesting fact about airfare and what it should cost. This might come in handy when you’re looking for your next flight.
The Adobe Digital Index’s 2016 Travel Report say the total cost of a domestic ticket should come to less than the total number of miles you’re traveling, times 3.2 cents, plus $230. Whew!
That means Roundtrip Miles x $0.032 + $230.
Got it?
For international flights, Roundtrip Miles x $0.08 + $200.
If you find yourself going to Beaune, France, check out this hotel. The Abbaye de Maizieres.
You’ll thank me.
Before your trip, do you read guide books, do you check out the Internet, do you ask friends who have been where you’re going, do you read reviews, do you watch travel videos, or do you do all of the above?
There are so many resources available, that it is wise to take advantage of any and all of them.
Get your information ahead of time and then keep learning while you are on your trip. Guide books and videos can give you so much information. However…
I’d suggest NOT doing what we saw one couple do in Venice last year. They were sitting at an outdoor cafe with a glass of wine. That’s the good part.
They were watching a video about Venice on their tablet…with the volume turned up so loud everyone at the cafe and on the street could hear it. That’s the not-good part.
Watch the video at home. Perhaps make a list from that video. But, don’t make everyone within a block listen to it.
I was mentioned in Terry’s daily post. This book was written several years ago about my dad and his box of memorabilia from WWII.
Like so many of us, I wish I had taken notes or recorded the stories he was willing to tell. Maybe I could have learned more about his time in the Army with the Red Bull National Guard from Minnesota and Iowa.
I think about him as Father’s Day approaches…
Check out Terry’s link here: http://www.ctsdaily.net/2016/05/daily-inspiration-5-4-16.html